OSHA Impersonator Gets 57 Months in Oil Spill Scam

A woman has been sentenced to 57 months in prison for bilking Gulf Coast residents by posing as a federal safety official after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

The U.S. Justice Department said Friday that 47-year-old Connie Knight, formerly of Belle Chasse, had claimed to be an Occupational Safety and Health Administration safety instructor. She held classes in which people paid to learn how to work in the cleanup effort.

However, she had no connection to OSHA or training in hazardous waste safety.

In January, Knight pleaded guilty to three felonies and one misdemeanor for creating false identification documents and impersonating a federal official. Justice officials say she was ordered to pay $25,300 in restitution to victims, many of whom were Asian immigrants in the south Louisiana fishing community.